academic writing course at dordt college

Vicky Fang MATESOL

Component 6: Revised Project 1

This paper is a revised and expanded edition of an original curriculum design project. This curriculum was an Academic Writing course of the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program at Dordt College in Iowa. The project was initially developed for a curriculum design course in the Fall of 2012 in collaboration with colleague Hala Sun from Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). Hala is also an alumnus of Dordt College. Thanks to her connection with the school, we were able to obtain full support from the faculty members of the English Department at Dordt College. In this edited version, I have revised the design, expanded the conceptual background, incorporated teacher feedback from the original project and enriched the curriculum with another unit plan and lesson plan. With these revisions, I believe that this project not only presents a more efficient and organized curriculum with compelling theoretical supports, but also it reflects my own language beliefs and teaching philosophies. Background In Fall 2012, I worked with one of my MIIS colleagues, Hala, in the Curriculum Design course to create a curriculum for the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program at Dordt College. There are two EAP courses that last for one semester. One is Academic Interaction (EAP 101), which focuses on developing speaking and listening skills, and the other is Academic Writing (EAP 102), which focuses on practicing reading and writing skills. All students admitted to Dordt College for whom English is not their native language are required to take a placement test, which determines whether the students need to take Academic Interaction and/or Academic Writing. Students who score lower than 70% on each of these three subtestslistening comprehension, oral presentation and grammar need to take Academic Interaction. Students

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who score lower than 80% on each of these two subtestsreading comprehension and miniessay writing respectively need to take Academic Writing. Every semester, there are about 12 incoming international students at Dordt College. These international students will either attend college for all four years (long term students) or for one semester or one year (exchange students). Currently, there is only one course level and Professor Sanneke Kok teaches both of these courses. We found in our interview with Professor Kok that most international students are exchange students from South Korea with limited exposure to academic English. In addition, there are a few students every year from the Netherlands, Latin American countries, and African countries. The age group ranges from 18 to 25 years old. Needs Analysis Method and Foci According to Brown (2007), a needs assessment is an important precursor to designing the goals of a course in that it can identify the overall purposes of the course (p. 152). Prior to designing a curriculum, we decided to conduct a needs analysis to understand the needs of the international students and the ESL/English Department. To ensure the reliability of our needs assessment, we utilized the overlapping method, also known as methodological triangulation: interviews, questionnaires, relevant literature and materials provided by Professor Kok (Allwright & Bailey, 1991). We first interviewed Professor Kok and three of the English professors at Dordtone professor teaches the core English literature class, and the other two professors teach both the core English literature class and the core English writing class. After the interviews, we designed two types of questionnaires to administer to current and past students respectively (see

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Appendices A and B). By surveying two groups, we not only could get the feedback on the current EAP courses, but also could obtain the reflective insights from the past students on how these courses have helped them transition to English classes. We piloted the questionnaires with MIIS international students and revised the unclear or unnecessary questions. Finally, with the hope of a higher return rate than digital copies, we mailed the paper copies of the surveys to Professor Kok and had her mail them back to us. We received all 10 surveys from the current students and 7 out of 12 surveys from the past students. Findings The following table summarizes the findings of the needs analysis. Table 2 Needs Analysis Summary (Quantitative Data) Current Students Participant Most important language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) Reading subskill that needs the most practice Writing subskill that needs the most practice Writing and listening

Previous Students Writing

Increasing vocabulary Using correct and advanced vocabulary

Increasing vocabulary Using correct and advanced vocabulary Understanding colloquial sayings and idioms Delivering a speech in a formal setting Grammar

Listening subskill that needs the Understanding most practice colloquial sayings and idioms Speaking subskill that needs the Using colloquial sayings and idioms most practice Most difficult component in English writing Grammar

Combining both the results of current and past students, it seemed that they all regarded writing as the most important component among the four essential language skills. Although students indicated a strong desire to increase vocabulary knowledge, they agreed that the most

Vicky Fang MATESOL


difficult component in English writing was grammar. According to our interviews with the English professors who taught English classes at Dordt College, there also seemed to be a great need to improve ESL students academic writing skills, specifically their accuracy in grammar usage. Students perceived difficulty in English writing matched with the English professors perceived challenges for the ESL students in their classes. In other words, grammar and writing were both important aspects influencing the academic success of the students as well as shaping the teaching and the evaluation standards of professors at Dordt College. Needs Analysis Solutions According to the findings, there seemed to be a great need to improve ESL students academic writing skills, specifically their accuracy in grammar usage. Furthermore, the professors emphasis on the grammar component of language translated into a belief that Professor Kok mentioned in the interviewit is important that students want to present good writing, accurate writing (personal communication, September 24, 2012). Thus, we decided to design an academic writing curriculum that incorporates grammar instruction. Bitcheners (2008) research suggests that ESL learners achieve the greatest improvements on forms when the teacher conducts mini-lessons on a small range of recurrent error categories and follow these up with small group meta-linguistic sessions on particular error categories (p. 116). Thus, we decided to have eight grammar workshops, which aim to give students explicit instruction on the selected grammar topics (see Course Syllabus, p.9). The grammar topics were selected based on the curriculum designers own experiences of being ESL students and the problems described in the Teachers Grammar of English, which suggests the difficulties ESL students may share in grammar (Cowan, 2008).

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In addition, we also found through our interviews that most of the professors at Dordt College strived for making the ESL students participate more often in class. Ortega (2009) suggests that the participation of ESL students could be improved when these students expertise is viewed as an asset in class discussions. Therefore, we decided to collect materials that can trigger students discussion from their own cultural perspectives (see the themes in Syllabus Outline, p. 11-14). Philosophy According to Graves (2000), your beliefs about which view of language should be emphasized will translate into beliefs about how the language should be learned (p. 28). Thus, as the curriculum designers, we could not help but infuse our education philosophies into the creation of the curriculum. A Genre Approach Ferris and Hedgecock (1998) argue that academic ESL instruction should enable learners to acquire skills, develop strategies, and master the spoken and written conventions of the academic community in general and of the individual disciplines they will pursue (p. 36). Keeping this notion in mind, we decided to use a genre approach to teaching writing because it can introduce explicitly to students the conventions that are implicit in the academic genre (Ferris & Hedgcock, 1998; Hyland, 2004). Following Hylands (2004) instructions of how to organize a genre-based writing course, we chose to make the writing course have a theme focus, which means that genres are selected and sequenced by learner needs and demands of the theme (Hyland, 2004, p. 90). The selection of the themes was not only based on whether the theme could contextualize the instruction of certain writing skills, but also based on whether the theme could trigger the students interest and allow the students to draw upon their personal

Vicky Fang MATESOL


experiences and prior knowledge (Hyland, 2004, p. 90). In addition to establishing the themes, we outlined the procedures of developing the genre-based writing course based on Burns and Joyces (1997, cited in Hyland 2004) framework (see Appendix C). Reading-to-Write and Writing-to-Read After developing the outline of the course, we were also concerned about the role that reading would play in a writing curriculum. As Ferris and Hedgcock (1998) have pointed out, much research has indicated that there is a positive correlation between ones reading competence and writing competence. Reading has long been considered as a receptive counterpart to writing. Smith (1994) argues that we must learn from exposure to writing, in other words from reading, and from acquaintanceship with writers (p. 178). A lot of academic writing classes also focus on the practice of reading. However, reading is very important to ESL writers not only because of the reasons mentioned above, but because reading helps to reduce the impact of intercultural rhetoric on ESL writers (Ferries & Hedgcock, forthcoming). As the curriculum developers of an English writing course, we were aware of the various rhetorical styles that the ESL students might bring into the classrooms (Connor & Kaplan, 1987). Thus, we regarded reading extensively as the fundamental foundation for someone to develop his/her writing skill and it must be reading done in a particular way (Smith, 1994, p.178). That particular way refers to the active perceptual process of reading, in which learners acquaint themselves with writing as well as with their own thoughts (Ferries & Hedgcock, 2009). Therefore, we incorporated different subgenres of academic writing into the curriculum (see the themes in Syllabus Outline, p. 11-14). On the other hand, writing also helps to promote learners reading skills. Moreover, it can be used to help ESL students to develop their schema, which was defined as an organized chunk

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of knowledge or experience, often accompanied by feelings (Weaver, 2002, p. 18). In a word, writing-to-read gives the reader a lens that entails using his/her life experience and previous knowledge to examine a text. Citing Gage (1986), Hirvela (2004) argues that writing makes thinking visible and we are able to catch the thoughts that are otherwise hard to obtain. Thus, free writing, without the constraints and rules of academic writing, can emancipate students from being trapped in some rumpled thoughts and prepares them for academic writing. Free writing can also be used to help students build up content schemata before they read a text. At this stage, writing makes visible not only the readers thinking process, but also the attached values and stereotypes of the reader (Hirvela, 2004). Thus, writing becomes the process of helping readers to understand a text as well as the process of creating a new text based on the reading (Smith, 1994). Therefore, my lesson plans started with free writing tasks that aimed to help the students prepare for the following readings (see Pre-Task 1 of Lesson Plan 2, p. 18). Portfolio Assessment Ferris and Hedgcock (1998) define portfolio assessment as an overall model of organizing writing processes and written products for ongoing reflection, dialogue, and evaluation (p. 245). Thus, when pondering upon how we could help students have a smooth transition from the EAP course to the regular academic English classes, we thought that ESL students may benefit from having a portfolio that contains all their grammar worksheets, feedback forms, and writing assignments. Not only might this portfolio help them feel proud of their achievement as English language learners, but the materials in the portfolio could also serve as their reference whenever they are writing essays for other classes. Furthermore, Bailey (1998) mentions that portfolio assessment not only measures what it is intended to measure (which is learners writing skills),

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but also it has positive effect on teaching and learning. For instance, Weigle (2002) points out that portfolio assessment helps students develop a sense of ownership of the writing because students not only need to select and arrange the portfolio contents, but also they are required to take the responsibility for their own development in writing. Through the portfolio assignment, we hope to make ESL students aware that writing is a continuous process and help students build up a study file that they can refer back to later. Finally, this portfolio could also be used as a tool for the English professors to understand the cultural and linguistic background of the ESL students. Thus far I have described the needs assessment process and the philosophies that support the design of the Academic Writing curriculum. The following section demonstrates the curriculum in a more concrete way. It is composed of a course syllabus, syllabus outline, two unit plans and two lesson plans. The semester-long course takes 17 academic weeks and contains 12 units. There are eight grammar workshops that are incorporated into the course units. In each grammar workshop, students will be given a grammar worksheet which explains a certain grammar concept and also includes exercises for students to practice. For this whole course, students are required to accomplish two writing assignments, one research paper and a course portfolio.

Vicky Fang MATESOL


English for Academic Purpose: Academic Writing Course Syllabus FALL 2013

Instructor: Vicky Fang Email: [email protected] Class Meetings: T-Th 1:503:05 PM Location: CL1316 Course Description Course name: Academic Writing Class duration and frequency: 75 minutes a day, twice a week Course length: A twelve-week long EAP course for college ESL students Overall Course Goals Students will be able to Enhance their academic writing skills Gain deeper understanding of grammar concepts. Facilitate cultural understanding through discussions and reading/writing exercises. Gain knowledge of standard academic writing styles and formats, and apply this knowledge through writing tasks and projects. Prepare themselves to take ENG 101 courses. Improve their overall English proficiency. Requirements and Student Responsibilities 1. Attendance is mandatory. Students need to attend every class session on time. 2. Late work will be accepted without penalty only under extraordinary circumstances. In any other case, late work will be marked one grade lower. 3. Participation in class discussions, workshops and class Moodle site is expected of all students and will be considered in the course grade. 4. External proofreaders for written assignments are not necessary for the course. Requirements and Grading Attendance and Participation Moodle Log (four) Writing Assignment (two) Research Paper EAP: Academic Writing Portfolio

10% 25% 20% 15% 30%

Moodle logs will be required for this course. The instructor will give you one or two prompts for each log. You need to respond to the prompt(s) in 200-300 words. The topics range from course readings, class discussions, grammar concepts and your own writing processes. In addition to posting your individual Moodle reflections, you are also expected to respond to at least one post of your classmates.

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Writing assignments will count for graded credit when the final version is submitted to the instructor. You will be asked to revise the two writing assignments and include them in your EAP: Academic Writing Portfolio (due in Week 17); the writing assignment portion of your course grade will be based on the quality of the papers you turn in with the portfolio. Research Paper will be introduced in Week 11. You are allowed to choose the topics covered in the course, such as cultural relevance, technology and education. The research paper will also be required to include in your portfolio, so the final grade of the research paper will be based on the quality of the final version submitted with your portfolio. EAP: Academic Writing Portfolio will be submitted in Week 17. The Portfolio needs to be submitted within binders no larger than two inches. A complete Portfolio includes the following components: A. B. C. D. Title Page (refer to MLA guidelines) Portfolio Submission Checklist (refer to EAP: Academic Writing Portfolio guidelines) Table of Contents Feature Writing (D-1: Two revised writing assignments; and D-2: Two pieces of selfselected writing and rationale) E. Encountering American Academic Culture Final Reflection Essay F. Research Paper (include all drafts, peer responses, and teachers feedback) G. Grammar File (Eight grammar worksheets) Refer to EAP: Academic Writing Portfolio guidelines for specific instructions (Appendix D).

Vicky Fang MATESOL Syllabus Outline Week 1 Day 8/27 8/29 Themes Introduction to Course Reasons for Writing Workshops


Goals & Skills

Assignment Due

Unit 1

Listening, speaking and Moodle Log 1 writing Summary writing Identifying main ideas Summary writing Paraphrasing Informal Presentations Reading strategically Defining vocabulary through context Summarizing reading materials Critical reading Reflective writing Writing present and past descriptions Writing with specific details Reading and reflecting on others writing Editing Revision techniques Taking notes efficiently Reading and evaluating the effects of technology Identifying and improving thesis statements Understanding structure of academic essays Final submission of Writing Assignment 1 4 Moodle Log 2 3 2

2

9/3

Cultural Relevance 1 (Narrative Paragraph Development)

Grammar workshop (GW) 1 Active/passive voice (Worksheet) GW2SubjectVerb Agreement (Worksheet) Peer Response and Training Workshop

9/5

Cultural Relevance 2 (Narrative Paragraph Development)

3

9/10

Memorable Places 1 (Descriptive Paragraph Development) Memorable Places 2 (Descriptive Paragraph Development) Peer Review

9/12

Begin the 1st draft of Writing Assignment 1

4

9/17

Complete the first draft of Writing Assignment 1

9/19 5 9/24

Note-taking Strategies Technology 1 (Constructing a Cohesive and Coherent Essay)

Vicky Fang MATESOL


9/26

Technology 2 (Constructing a Cohesive and Coherent Essay)

GW3Adverb Clauses of Result, reduced adverb (Worksheet)

6

10/1

Expository Essay

7

10/3 10/8

Expository Essay (contd.)

Editing Workshop comparative forms, correlative conjunctions, run-on sentence, comma splice

Expanding a paragraph into an essay Improving cohesion by using connecting words Writing a good concluding paragraph Reading to write Freewriting Expository paragraph development No class Constructing expository essays Introduction to documentation style and plagiarism

Moodle Log 3

5

10/10

8 (midterm)

10/15

In-class Writing (Writing Assignment 2) The Power of Culture and Language 1 (Compare-andContrast Paragraph Development)

GW4 Pronoun consistency (Worksheet)

Timed writing

Learning about the impacts of culture and language in our lives Identifying points of comparison Composing comparison & contrast paragraphs Using comparison & contrast transitions to increase coherence Editing & Revising *Receive Writing Assignment 2 with feedback; Begin Writing Assignment 2 revision

6

10/17

The Power of Culture and Language 2 (Compare-andContrast Paragraph Development) Human Behavior 1 (Analyzing Reasons) Human Behavior 2 (Analyzing Reasons)

Writing Assignment 2 Review Workshop

9

10/22 10/24

Writing paragraphs analyzing reasons Building cohesion and coherence in writing

7 Moodle Log 4

Vicky Fang MATESOL 10 10/29 Marketing & Advertising 1 (Developing Classification Paragraphs) Marketing & Advertising 2 GW5Articles with Quantifiers, Articles with count and noncount nouns (Worksheet) GW6Adverb clauses of cause and result, unreal conditions (Worksheet)

Component 6: Revised Project 13 Learning about the field of marketing Identifying different categories Summarizing, paraphrasing Identifying different categories Building cohesion Organizing and writing a classification essay Identifying causes and/or effects in the essay Determining the writers purposes Using transitions for cause and effect Writing a cause-andeffect essay Final submission of Essay 2 8

10/31

11

11/5

Academic Achievement 1; Brainstorming Topics for Research Paper Academic Achievement 2

Begin the 1st draft of research paper

9

11/7

12

11/12

Sustainable Environment 1 (Analyzing Process in Writing)

11/14

13

11/19

Sustainable Environment 2 (Analyzing Process in Writing) Peer Review

GW7 Noun clauses, gerunds and infinitives (Worksheet) Peer Response Training & Workshop

Learning about ways to improve environmental sustainability Distinguishing between directional and informational process Practicing writing about a process Using participial phrases to increase coherence

10

Moodle Log 5

11/21

Using correct documentation style Identifying grammar errors No class

1st draft of Research paper

Vicky Fang MATESOL 14 11/26 Education Excellence 1 (Introduction to Argumentative Essays) Education Excellence 2 GW8 Adverbial clauses (Worksheet)

Component 6: Revised Project 14 Reading about issues in education Building argumentative thesis: Taking a stand Building up background knowledge of the death penalty Using sufficient examples to support a thesis Using participial phrases, adverbial clauses of purpose and conditionals correctly Evaluating the support in an argumentative text Outlining an argumentative text Support, explain and refute arguments Reviewing all the grammar skills covered in the course Error treatment on the grammar problems that appear in the drafts of the research papers *Receive feedback on 2nd draft 2nd draft of research paper 11

11/28

15

12/3

Social Justice

12

12/5

Grammar Review

Paper Review Workshop

16 17

12/10 12/12 12/16

Final Conference Final Conference Submit final portfolio

Vicky Fang MATESOL


UNIT 1: Introduction to Academic Writing Objectives: Students will be able to Meet and connect with the teacher and the other students in the class. Familiarize themselves with the main aspects of the syllabus. Know all the requirements and assignments. Write the ideas of a text after listening to the teacher dictate the text. Know the concept of topic sentences. Produce topic sentences for given paragraphs.

Vicky Fang MATESOL Day


Week 1 Unit Plan: August 2729, 2013 Topic Task Materials Homework Introduction 1. Introduction. No homework Handouts of to Academic 2. Ice-breaker Activity: course syllabus Writing getting to know each Handouts of course other (Pair up portfolio plan students and ask them to introduce themselves. Next, each student needs to introduce his/her pair to the whole class.) 3. Distribute the course syllabus to students. Highlight the main aspects of the syllabus. 4. Distribute the portfolio plan to students. Discuss the requirements. Reasons for 1. Give students 5 min. Students 1. Check out Purdue Writing to free write on the OWL website (the freewriting topic, reasons for link is posted on notebook writing. Moodle). Paper 2. Read the text to Reading handout: 2. Respond to the students several discussion forum on an excerpt from times and ask Moodle. Reading Across students to write the the Gap: How I ideas as they Write remember them. Topic sentence 3. In pairs, students worksheet discuss the questions related to the text. 4. Students underline the topic sentences in given paragraphs. 5. In pairs, students work on the topic sentence worksheet. Next, discuss the answers as a whole class. 6. Remind students to check out Moodle discussion forum.

Thursday, August 29th

Tuesday, August 27th

Vicky Fang MATESOL

Component 6: Revised Project 17 LESSON PLAN 2: Reasons for Writing

Date: August 29, 2013 Class Size: 12 students Students: ESL/International students; 1st semester college-level Duration: 75 minutes Objectives: Students will be able to... O1. O2. O3. O4. O5. O6. Build up content schemata before reading a text Listen to a text and paraphrase it as closely as possible Comprehend a text through discussion Relate the authors experience with the students own experiences Identify topic sentences Write topic sentences

Vicky Fang MATESOL

Component 6: Revised Project 18 Reasons for Writing Activity Ask students to think about why they need to write. Tell students to take out their free writing notebook and give them 5 min. to free write on the topic, reasons for writing. Ask students to share the reasons they have come up with. Write students responses on the board. Give specific instructions on the dictocomp exercise and ask students to take out a piece of paper. Read the text, Reading Across the Gap: How I Write at a normal speed. After students finish the dictocomp, read the text again for students to revise their writings. Ask some students to read their dictocomps to the class. Ask students to discuss in pairs on the reasons that motivated the author to write. Tell students to reconvene as a class and call out the results of their discussions. Write down students findings on the board. Ask students if the story triggers their memories and tell them to share their own experience when they are motivated to write.

Procedure 1

Stage & Time Pre-task 1: Free writing (10 min)

Objecti Materials ves O1 Students free writing notebook

2

Task 1a: Dictocomp Activity

O2

Paper Reading handout: an excerpt from Reading Across the Gap: How I Write (Appendix E)

(15 min)

3

Task 1b:

O3, O4

None

Comprehen sion Activity (15 min)

Vicky Fang MATESOL 4 Task 2: Topic Sentence Exercise (10 min)

Component 6: Revised Project 19 Give students the script of the excerpt. Introduce the idea of topic sentence. Ask students to underline the topic sentence in each paragraph of the article. Pair students up to discuss their answers. Ask students to report their answers as a class. Distribute the worksheet to students. Give students 10 min. to work in pairs. Discuss the answers of the worksheet with students. Invite students to check out Purdue University Online Writing Lab for topic sentences (The link is posted on Moodle). Ask students to respond to the discussion forum on Moodle by next class (see the prompt in Appendix G). O5 Reading handout (Appendix E)

6

Task 3: Topic Sentence Exercise (20 min) Closing: (5 min)

O5, O6

Topic sentence worksheet (Appendix F)

7

None

Vicky Fang MATESOL

Component 6: Revised Project 20 UNIT 12: Social Justice

Objectives: Students will be able to Learn about and discuss issues about the death penalty. Evaluate the support in an argumentative text. Explain, support and refute arguments. Identify and correct the common grammar errors that occur in their writings.

Vicky Fang MATESOL


Day

Topic Social Justice

1.

2.

Tuesday, December 3rd

3. 4.

Week 12 Unit Plan: December 35, 2013 Task Materials Give students 5 min. Computer to write about their opinions toward the Projector death penalty. Ask students to share Screen their opinions and reasons. Ask students to read White board an argumentative article about the Sharpies death penalty. 2. Students work in groups to identify A picture of the the main arguments death penalty and evaluate the (Appendix H) support in the text. Students present A reading their findings. handout & Students write a worksheet (see paragraph that Appendix I) refutes the arguments. Common Grammar Error Worksheet: The worksheet collects the grammatically incorrect sentences that frequently occurred in students writings.

Homework Bring all the grammar worksheets for the next class.

Grammar Review

1. Ask students if they have any questions on their grammar worksheets. 2. Distribute the Common Grammar Error Worksheet to students. 3. Divide the class into three groups and ask students to work as a group and find out the grammar errors. 4. Discuss the sentences one by one with students and distribute the answer sheets to the students at the end of the class.

None

Thursday, December 5th

Answers to the worksheet

Vicky Fang MATESOL


LESSON PLAN 15: Social Justicethe Death Penalty Date: December 3, 2013 Class Size: 12 students Students: ESL/International students; 1st semester college-level Duration: 75 minutes Objectives: Students will be able to... O1. O2. O3. O4. O5. O6. O7. Develop ideas on a given topic List reasons that support their arguments Work independently and cooperatively Identify the main arguments of a given article Describe how to support and explain an argument Make an outline of an argumentative text Refute arguments in writing

Vicky Fang MATESOL


Procedure 1

Stage & Time Task 1: Free writing

Social Justice 3the Death Penalty Activity

(5 min)

Show students the image of the death penalty on the classroom screen. Tell students to take out their free writing notebook and give them 5 min. to write down their opinions on the death penalty.

Objec tives O1

Materials Computer Projector Screen Students free writing notebooks A picture of the death penalty (Appendix H)

Post-Task 1: Sharing time

(10 min) Pre-Task 2: Preparation & Reading the text (15 min)

Ask students to raise their hands if they support the death penalty. Ask them to share their reasons and write down the reasons on the board. Do the same thing to the students who are against the death penalty and those who do not care. Randomly divide the class into 4 groups. Establish a role for each member of the group. They have 3 choices: recorder, presenter and encourager. Ask each student to write the role on a role cards and place it in front of him/her. Distribute Handout #1 to each student. Give students 10 min. to read the article by themselves. Give one Handout #2 to each group. Give students 15 min. to discuss the questions listed on Handout #2. (The students whose roles are recorders need to write down the answers to the questions).

O2

White board Sharpies

2

O3

Handout #1: Reading of The Conservative Case Against the Death Penalty (Appendix I)

Task 2a: Group discussion (15 min)

O3, O4, O5, O6

Handout #2: Worksheet (Appendix I)

Vicky Fang MATESOL Task 2b: Presentation

Component 6: Revised Project 24 Tell students to reconvene as a class. Show the word document of Handout #2 on the screen. Each group take turns presenting their answers. (The students whose roles are presenters should present the results after the discussion). Confirm and record students answers on the document. Give students 10 min. to write a paragraph in which they disagree with the opinion of the author. Select several students to share their writings. Give students 5 min. to write their reflections on what they have learned today. Ask students to post their writings on Moodle. Tell students to bring all of their grammar worksheets for the next class. O4, O5, O6 Computer Projector Screen Handout #2 (Appendix I)

(10 min)

3

Task 3: Writing Activity (15 min) Closing: (5 min)

O7

Paper

4

Free writing notebooks

Vicky Fang MATESOL Conclusion


This curriculum was my first attempt to design a language course. It required a lot of work, but overall, I feel confident and happy with the results of the needs assessment and the design of our curriculum, including syllabus, course outline, unit plans and lesson plans. This process has made me realize that curriculum design needs to take a lot of aspects into account, such as students needs, teachers requirements and the education philosophies of the institution. All of these aspects helped us make appropriate decisions in designing a course suitable for the target students in the target setting. For instance, since Dordt College emphasized students using correct grammar in writing, we incorporated grammar workshops into the writing curriculum. Through revising the project, I got a chance to reflect upon the original project, add more personal voice in it, improve the weaknesses of the project as well as reinforce the strengths of the project.

Word Count: 4997

Vicky Fang MATESOL References


Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). Topic sentences. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/index.php?category_id=2&sub_categor y_id=1&article_id=29 Allwright, D., & Bailey, K.M. (1991). Focus on the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bailey, K. M. (1998). Learning about language assessment: Dilemmas, decisions, and directions. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Publishers. Bitchener, J. (2008). Evidence in support of written corrective feedback. Journal of Second Language Writing, 17, 102-118. Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (3rd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman. Cary, M. K. (2011, March 30). The conservative case against the death penalty. The U.S. News. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/03/30/the-conservativecase-against-the-death-penalty Connor, U., & Kaplan, R. B. (1987). Writing across languages: Analysis of L2 text. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley. Ferris, D. R., & Hedgcock, J. S. (1998). Teaching ESL composition: Purpose, process, and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Ferris, D., & Hedgcock, J. (Forthcoming). Teaching L2 composition: Purpose, process, and practice (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

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Graves, K. (2000). Designing language courses: a guide for teachers. London: Heinle & Heinle. Hedgcock, J. S., & Ferris, D. R. (2009). Teaching readers of English: Students, texts, and contexts. New York, NY: Routledge. Hirvela, A. (2004). Connecting reading and writing in second language writing instruction. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. Hyland, K. (2004). Disciplinary discourses: Social interactions in academic writing. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. Ortega, L. (2009). Understanding second language acquisition. London: Hodder Education. Ruetten, M. K. (2012). Developing composition skills: Academic writing and grammar (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle. Smith. (1994). Writing and the writer (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Weaver, C. (2002). Reading process and practice: From socio-psycholinguistics to Whole Language (3rd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Weigle, S. C. (2002). Assessing writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Vicky Fang MATESOL

Component 6: Revised Project 28 Appendix A Current Students Questionnaire

We (Hala Sun & Vicky Fang) are TESOL graduate students at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. We are currently designing a curriculum to meet incoming Dordt ESL students needs. Please provide candid responses, as only this will guarantee the success of creating a meaningful course. Thank you very much for your time! Section I: 1.) Gender: _________________________ 2.) Native Language:___________________ 3.) Nationality:________________________ 4.) Are you an international student or an exchange student?______________________ 5.) How long have you lived in the U.S.?_____________________________________ 6.) How long have you studied English?______________________________________ 7.) How do you rate your overall English proficiency? (Please circle)1: Excellent 2: Good 3: Fair 4: Poor

8.) How important is to improve the following skills? (Please circle the number for each skill)1: Not important 2: Somewhat important 3: Important 4: Very important

Listening skills Reading skills Writing skills Speaking skills

1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4

Section II: 1.) How many years of English academic writing experience do you have? (Please circle)

academic writing course at dordt college

Documents

lawrence erlbaum

vicky fang

andcontrast

narrative

descriptive

topic sentence

free writing

cambridge